Store-service apparatus



(No Model.) l 2 Sheets-Sheetl. E. H. STANWOOYD 8v B'. MILLER.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

Patel'lted Aug. '7, 1883.

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P. H. STANWOOD 8v M. B. MILLER.

STORE SERVICE APPARATUS.

PatentedvAug. 7,1888.

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' l a perspective View of our invention.

3o will return the carriage to the counter.

UNITED .STATES PATENT fil-Erice.

FRANK STANVOOD ANI) MORGAN B. MILLER, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

STORE-SERVICE APPARATUS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 282,582, dated August '7, 1883.

Application filed April Q3, 1883. (No model.)

new and useful Improvement in Store-Service Apparatus, of specication.

In this invention the design has been to adapt the parcel or lcash carriers now in use in stores to the carrying of larger and more weighty packages than is now permissible, and to otherwise improve the construction of the apparatus.

The invention consists in the novel combinations and details hereinafter set forth.

The accompanying drawings show at Figure Fi 2 is a plan view of one of the switches. 3 is a section of the track in perspective upon the line 3 3 of Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a plan, and Fig. 5 -is a central vertical section of one of the carriages.

In the drawings, A A represent the tracks or railways ofour improved apparatus, inclined as usual in apparatus of this kind, so that one line thereof will conductthe carriage from the customers7 counter I to the central station or cashiers stand, and the other line IVe ,employ double tracks, as illustrated, and prefer that both of them should be provided with the raised ridge 'or head customarily used with iianged wheels, for reasons presently stated. Upon these railways are operated cash and package carrying vehicles having two wheels, B B, (one or both of which are ilanged,) with inner and outer ilanges, as shown, upon one side and running upon the same rail, and

which the following is a 4o one or two supporting unflanged wheels, B',

upon the other rail, all being connected by the frame B2, the arms of which may serve as the axes for the wheels. Depending centrally from the frame is the hook B3, upon which the bag, basket, or other receptacle containing the articles tobe carried is suspended. These cars are also provided with bumpers BL at each end, such bumpers being attached to the opposite ends of a rod, b, secured upon the frame B2 5o by eyes b b', and provided between said eyes,

at either side of the center cross-pin, b2, with an encircling spring, b3. By these bumpers the contact of the cars,.both with each other and the gates and elevatoracages, is cushioned and softened. By providing the wheels upon one rail with flanges and making those upon the other rail with unilanged treads, as shown, the former are made to guide the car without assistance from the latter, thereby enabling the car to be switched by a movable section in one rail of the track only. The uniianged wheels also permit lateral movement, so that the car is free to be controlled by the flanged wheels. IVe prefer, also, two flanged wheels to a single one, because the car is more certainly directed by two than by one, and alsorbecause the two prevent undue lateral movement by either end. The plain wheels permit the car to follow the sinuosities of a single track, instead of compelling it to follow those of both tracks, and by using the ribbed rail said wheels accommodate themselves to such sinuosities more easily than they would if a flat track were used, so that the danger of jumping the track is lessened.

Where side tracks are requisite the cars are made to switchthemselves off from the main track onto the side tracks and l`to replace the switches by means of arms B5 borne thereon, which come in contact with the upstanding pivoted levers C C, attached by rods c c to lever C2, so as to oscillate the latter and cause it and thelink c', connecting it with the movable section a of the track,to turn said. movable section into position with the switch-track and then move it back. The iirst of these movements of the switch is given by the lever C and the return movement by the lever C', the arms B5 striking both of said levers at each passage. Of course where the load is suspended below the car, as in my apparatus, the tracks must be cut, as shown at s, to permit the passage of the hook B3 or the device employed in lieu of such hook. c

Where a multiplicity of switches is employed, the arms and levers whereby they are operated are varied either in relative length or in their location relative to the tracks, so

that the arms will strike no levers but those of the switch to which the carscarrying them belong.

At the counter where the sale is made is f5, thence to the gate.

located an elevating-cage, whereby the car is raised and sent upon its mission along the upper track to the cashier or other person whose duty it is to check the goods sold, or to wrap them up for Pdelivery to the customer. This cage also receives the car when it is returned.

It carries a section of track, A A, pivoted at m f ver, d', supported upon a yoke, (l2, secured to t-he brace D. XVe call this lever d a tippinglever 7 because when the cageis raised it comes in contact with a stopdevice, d, which compels it to elevate or tip the outer end of track in the cage, and so change the inclination thereof that the car will be discharged from the cage. Ihe cage moves up and ,down upon guide-rods E E, to which it is attached by encircling slides e e. Power for the up movement is 4communicated by the clerk through the cord e, attached to brace d", connecting braces D and D', the down movement being by gravity. In o rdcr that the cage may travel upon the guides dwith s teadiness,l we apply to it a device consisting of two cords, E E2, and pulleys E3 upon opposite ends of the cage, each of said cords being fastened to stationary points above and below, and passed under one and over the other of said pulleys, as shown.

At the end of the return-track a gate is located, whereby any car which may come in; on that track while the cage is raised will be detained and prevented from falling. out.

This `cage may be made ofy a bowed wire, F, the feet of which are inclosed by guides f, and a bumping cross-bar', F. matically by the descent of the cage, the projecting point f upon the latter striking a foot,

f2, sliding in and standing out from a slot4 in the cylindrical guides j, said foot being connected to a cord, j", passing over sheaves XVhen the cage rises the gate falls by gravity, being no longer prevented from doing so bythe contact between the parts f and f2.

It is often desirable to lower the cage to a point below the level of the in or return track, and to permit this we turn thepointf, which is attached to a loose ring, f, confined on the brace D by collars fl, so it will avoid the footfL in the farther descent by means of the stationary cam fg. rllhe foot is given leeway to descend with the pointf until the latter clears it, when it rises by the gravitation oi' the gate. The point f is moved back to its rst position by raising the cage sufficiently to bring said point under the iniuence of another stationary cam, f, whose function it is to effect that result.

The ends of the two lines of railway are supported upon the inwardly-turned feet of arched braces G G, similar to the cage-braces D and D, and said braces G G are in turn supported upon 'pendent rods G G. The cage is sup- It is raised autothe cage is either above or below the receiving position, and that the ends of the railways are in the same vertical line, so that the saine `cage is employed both to receive and dispatch the car.

By the use of our apparatus packages of any weight which the railway will sustain and of almost any size and shape may be conveyed with ease. The cage and other apparatus at the counter may be duplicated at the cashiers stand, if desired.

The switch we have shown is of the stub variety, as it will be .understood that the split switch could not be employed with wheels flanged upon both sides.` XVe are of course aware that single-rail switches are old, but they have always been of the split kind.

Ve claiml. In a parcel-carrying apparatus, the combination of double-track railways and a car having iianged guide wheel or wheels running upon one rail only and unfianged supporting wheel or wheels only upon the other rail, substantially as speciied.

2. In a parcel-carrying apparatus, the combination of double-track railways and a car having two iianged guide-wheels running on the same rail and an unflanged supporting wheel or wheels only running on the other rail, substantially as specified.

3. In a parcel-carrying apparatus, a doubletrack main and side railway provided with a stub-switch in one rail only, combined with a vehicle having a double-flanged guide-wheel riding upon the switch-rail, substantially as specified.

4. The switch for parcelcarrying apparatus, composedof the moving rail-section, the pivoted levers, the oscillating lever, and the connecting devices, substantially as specified.

5. rlhe railway provided with a switch composed of the moving rail-section, the pivoted levers, and the devices connecting said movin g section and said levers, in combination lwith vehicles traveling upon said railway and provided with tripping-arms actuating said levers to open and close the switch, substantially as specified.

6. In aparcel-carrying apparatus, the combination, with the railway having a number of switches, each provided with actuating-levers, substantially as specified, of vehicles traversing said railway and provided with trippingarms which strike said levers, said arms and levers being relatively so dimensioned orlocated that said arms will strike only the 1evers at the switch to which the car is destined, substantially as specified.

7. In combination with the dispatching and return tracks of a parcel-carrying apparatus, the ends of said tracks being in line with each other vertically, a single cage for elevating the IOO IIO

cars to the dispatching-track and for receiving them from the return-track, substantially as specified.

8. In a parcel-carrying apparatus, a car supp orted upon a double-track switch-railway and carrying its load by a suspension device depending centrally therefrom, in combination with such railway, having its rails cut at s, substantially as specied.

9. The cage having the tipping-section of railway-track, the lever for causing such tipping, and the stop for actuating the lever, all combined and op erating substantially as speciiied.

10. The cage having the tippingsection of track, the lever for causing such tipping, and the stop for actuating the lever, all combined with a dispatching-track and a device for elevating the cage, substantially as specied.

11. The gate, the devices by which it is raised by the movement of the cage, and the cage, all

Yranged and'op erating substantially as specified.

FRANK H. STANWOOD.

' MORGAN B. MILLER. Witnesses to signature of Stanwood:

EDW. S. EvARTs,

H. M. MUNDAY. ."Witnesses to signature of Miller:

WARREN A.' VOODWORTH,

ROBERT HARTLEY. 

